Introducing Timer-driven Requesting Scheme to Segmented File Download Methods Using Parallel TCP/MPTCP Connections on Multiple Paths

The proliferation of diverse network technologies has enabled concurrent utilization of multiple network media, such as WiFi and 4G/5G links on modern smartphones. While this advancement facilitates simultaneous downloading of varied network contents, traditional multi-connection management methods, like reception-driven requesting schemes, often struggle to adapt to dynamic network conditions. This paper introduces a novel timer-driven requesting scheme applied to both parallel TCP and parallel MPTCP (Multipath TCP) methods, addressing the limitations of existing approaches. Unlike previous studies that relied solely on simulations, we present an experimental evaluation of this scheme on real machines. Our extensive experimentation reveals significant advantages of the timer-driven requesting scheme, particularly its superior adaptability in fluctuating network environments. These findings not only demonstrate the scheme’s practical viability but also underscore its potential to revolutionize content retrieval in multi-network scenarios, paving the way for more efficient and resilient data transfer mechanisms in increasingly complex network ecosystems.